E-Paper
Cabinet reshuffle expected in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh
People aware of the matter said the inclusion of at least four ministers was expected to balance the representation of the so-called Upper Caste and the Other Backward Class leaders
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was expected to include at least four new ministers in his Cabinet to address complaints about lack of political representation of certain castes in the run-up to the polls in Madhya Pradesh due later this year.
People aware of the matter said the inclusion was expected to balance the representation of the so-called Upper Caste and the Other Backward Class leaders. “There is a possibility of some ministers being dropped as well,” said a person, requesting anonymity.
There has been speculation of a reshuffle in the state Cabinet to tide over the anti-incumbency that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces. The BJP this month announced the first list of its candidates for 39 seats in the state, which it lost in the last election.
Except for 18 months between 2018 and 2020, the BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003. Polls in five states, including Madhya Pradesh, accounting for roughly 15% of India’s population, are expected to set the tone for the 2024 national elections.
The Congress returned to power in Madhya Pradesh in 2018 but lost it in March 2020 when 22 legislators quit the party and resigned from the state assembly.
